Catch up time, part 1: July 2012

Wow, it has been a loooooong time, people.  I am going to attempt to get everyone caught up with our lives since I last blogged back in J-U-N-E...as quickly as possible...mainly with pictures, because that's really what people enjoy right?  Here we go....

Chalin spent lots of time enjoying the sprinkler and his slip-n-slide.

Chad also enjoyed the slip-n-slide...and I'll admit I did, too, once I understood the concept of  "sliding" and not "jumping."

Chalin finished up his 3rd season of t-ball and took home the 1st Place Trophy!  We celebrated with the team at CiCi's Pizza.

The Cubs are the CHAMPS!

Hung out with our little turtle friend and spent hours on Chalin's playground.

I celebrated my 10 year reunion and caught up with some great friends!

I can't even begin to image how many hours we spent at the zoo this summer.  We love love LOVE zoo trips!

I ran my first ever Color Me Rad race with some great friends.  We had a blast and definitely plan on running it again!

Chalin loved drawing with chalk and became very detailed in his drawings...notice Chad's huge head and my enormous eyes?

Super hero play-dates at the Murray's!

More play dates with some superheroes.  Great buddies.

Quite the artist...sidewalk painting.

This quickly became a favorite activity.  I learned if you basically squirt the entire bottle of food coloring when mixing, you get some amazingly bright sidewalk paint!

Chalin and Chad had many "camping" trips right in our living room and loved every minute of it!

Yep.  I did it.  Judge if you must.  I love it.  I worked hard to find the perfect font.  I wrote it out on paper probably a 100 times to get it exactly how I wanted it, so it could be "my" writing.  It's one of my absolutely favorite verses.   Psalm 37:7.   It serves as a constant and permanent reminder to "Be still and wait patiently on the Lord..." no matter what each day may bring.  I really needed this after our adoption fell through in June and I don't for one second regret my decision.  It made it even better that I had some amazing friends to go with--thank you April, Anna, and Autumn!!!

Hurting heart and broken wings...

"...Cannot stop Your love from finding me...My strength alone will never be enough, but Your arms keep lifting me up."

Let me start from the beginning.  We're adopting!  Still!  We were officially approved last July.  We were matched with a birth mom in October.  It fell through in December.  We were selected by a new birth mom in early March.  She was due with a baby girl, today, June 26.  After 3 1/2 months of being excited about the thought of finally having another baby, we got the call yesterday, late afternoon, that our birth mom had changed her mind.  She was scheduled to be induced at 12:00 AM.  There were absolutely NO red flags--no warnings.  She said all the right things.  All the time.  So, maybe that was a big red flashing red light that we "ignored?"  Who knows.  I am sad, confused, angry, frustrated, all over again.  Why would God let this happen again? 

Well, it took a very hot humid horrible 2 mile run to clear my head.  I felt a little guilty, but honestly not too much.  I specifically remember reading about people doing it in the Bible--not saying it's the right thing to do--but my thought was "oh well."  While I was running, out of all the songs that are on my shuffle (variety of country, hip hop, christian, classic rock, pop), I asked the question: "Are we on the right road?  Are we suppose to continue to be patient and pursue adoption?  A christian song came on, didn't think much about it.  Right after a 2nd christian song came on....began to play my little game with God.  "I need a sign.  Desperately.  If you want me to keep being patient, play me another christian song, to make 3 christian songs in a row."  The Fray played next, "Heartbeat."  Your probably thinking what I'm thinking.  Air One plays this song, but so does the "popular" station.  BUT Air One plays it, so I'm going with it.  Now, this is silly, I know.  Is that the sign that gives me all the answers?  No.  But it did make me smile.  God does have a sense of humor, doesn't He?  I think so.

While I was running, my thoughts started to become clear.  Who do I think I am that I deserve to be happy all the time?  God didn't put me on this earth to "be happy."  He created me to praise Him.  To bring Him glory.  To shine a light to hopefully encourage others to follow Him.  Does that mean that he doesn't want me to be happy?  NO!  Of course not!  But is that my purpose here?  NO!  Of course not!  

I try to find at least one thing to be thankful for no matter if the situation goes the way I want it to or doesn't.  So, here it is.  A while back, and not just on one occasion, I've prayed for a way to witness to others.  God gave it to me.  If we wouldn't have struggled with fertility, if we weren't currently still struggling with trying to get a baby that we want so desperately bad, now in the adoption world, would I have shared my faith?  Honestly, probably not.  I still want that baby just as much as I always have.  I'm not ready to give up, yet.  And if my struggles, my story, has created one more believer, caused one more person to strengthen their faith, then this is all worth it.  My purpose in this life as a believer, is to bring others with me to Heaven.  My family, my friends, my acquaintances, strangers.  Please don't shower me with praise for being faithful.  Give God the Glory.  He is the reason I am sharing my story and not curled up in a ball in the fetal position on the floor.  

After my two miles, I decided to torture myself a little more and walk 2 miles in the heat.  On my last mile back, about 1/2 mile to go, the song came on "Free" by Dara Maclean.  Thank you, God, for continuing to show me love and give me hope when I need it the most...through loving family and friends (phone calls, texts, messages, flowers)...and a "random" song on my shuffle.

"Hurting heart and broken wings

Cannot stop Your love from always finding me

No more days wasting away

I finally realize the gift inside me

My strength alone will never be enough

But Your arms keep lifting me up

You tell me I've been made free

You give me everything I need to walk in my dreams

You whisper words that free my soul

You're the reason I have hope

You're everything I need and more

You made me

You made me free" 

F-O-U-R

I cannot believe our baby is 4.  What an amazingly wonderful blessing he is.  We started out the morning by stopping by Daylight Donuts to order a sprinkled donut and some milk for breakfast.  After that, C celebrated his birthday at school by sharing birthday cookies with his friends, being sung to, and receiving a book from "Ralph the Dog." 

 

 Chad was able to take off a little early from work and go with me to pick up C from school.  We then went and bowled two games and had so much fun!  After that, at C's request, we had Chick-fil-a for dinner, went home to open presents, and shared a gigantic piece of birthday cake.  Here are a few pictures....and more to come after we celebrate this weekend with family and friends.

 

Loves: 

The colors red & blue

Puzzles!  Huge ones...like 100 pieces.  Pure craziness.

Playing games, especially Trouble, Sorry, & Yahtzee

Chocolate Donuts

Cars, trucks, emergency vehicles, tractors, and anything you can think of with wheels.

Being Mommy's Scentsy Buddy

ANY Mighty Machine video, along with Word World, Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, & Super Why

Strawberry breakfast bars from Wal-Mart (all the other ones are "yucky.")

Being a helper

Wait for it.....wait for it....YOGURT DRINKS!

Mazes

Hidden Picture Books

BOOKS!

Being Tickled AND tickling

 T-Ball (but the season hasn't started, yet....)

PLASMA CAR!

Trips to the Zoo

Playing outside (riding his vehicles, bike, and playing in sand table)

Meerkats

BUILDING ZOO PENS!

Playing on his Leapster Explorer

Bowling

Figuring out letter sounds

Stuffed Animals

And you'll never guess.....MOMMY'S HAIR!

A few random facts:

Despises the colors pink & purple.  Refuses to wear them.

Has an excellent memory...almost eery what this kid remembers.

So funny--he gets this from his Daddy

Such a sweet sweet son with the biggest heart ever

Very observant 

I know I'll get in trouble for this someday, but he loves talking about poop.  Yes, poop.  Finds it HILARIOUS.

No longer says "t" sound for "k"...so no more, "tittle" "tat" or "pop sittles"

No longer says, "d" sound for "g"...no more "dods" "dood" or doldfish"

Does say "sh" for "ch" so we have "Shalin" "Shad" and "Shurch" for a little longer

Enjoys eating "beef turkey"

Has inherited the inability to choose what we eat for dinner and now beats us to saying, "I'm not picking what we eat, I CALLED IT!"  Yes, Chad and I do this, and now C has joined us.  We forget we're not in elementary school. 

 

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas!  Here are our "Top 10 Moments of 2011" (idea taken from our Christmas card this year--if I figure out how to post it, I will).  No particular order here, except for #1, of course.

10.  Blizzard 2011 with the Murray's.

(check it out here.) 

9.  Chalin turned 3.
(Check it out here.)

8.  First family fishing trip.

7. Chalin started t-ball. 
(Check it out here and here.)

6. Family vacation to Great Wolf Lodge, LegoLand, & Sea Life. 
(Check it out here.)

5. Celebrated 8 years of marriage.
(Check it out here.)

4. Chad's 10 year HS Reunion.  

3.  Joined a new church.  

2.  Chad celebrated his last year of his 20's--Lindsay is not that old :) 

1.  Began our ADOPTION JOURNEY!
(Check it out here.)

We hope that not only does the good Lord bless you more than you can ever imagine in 2012, but also that you recognize these blessings and give all the glory to Him.